Interview with Dong Geun-tae, CEO of Star Truck Korea
Company launches long-haul membership program 'Star Million Club'
Members receive one free annual inspection plus discounts on labor and parts
"The secret to driving a Mercedes-Benz truck more than 3 million kilometers is regular maintenance. That is exactly why the Star Million Club offers free inspections to support our customers on long hauls." — Dong Geun-tae, CEO of Star Truck Korea
In the commercial vehicle market, how long and reliably a truck stays on the road is the defining competitive edge — operating days translate directly into profit. Mercedes-Benz trucks market long-haul durability as their core strength, and Star Truck Korea, the brand's official importer, has launched the Star Million Club membership program to support ultra-long-distance operators.
Dong met with The Herald Business at the company's headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, on May 29 and said Mercedes-Benz trucks can run more than 3 million kilometers with nothing more than regular maintenance. "Through the Star Million Club, we want to increase the number of ultra-long-haul cases by providing one free inspection per year," he said.
The Star Million Club is a membership program designed to help customers push for longer mileage records. It operates across four tiers — under 1 million km, 1 million km or more, 2 million km or more, and 3 million km or more. All members receive one free annual inspection until the vehicle is scrapped, with additional discounts on labor and parts depending on their tier. As of June 2, roughly 1,000 customers had applied to join.
While preparing the program, Dong personally interviewed Kim Rae-hyeong, a driver who has logged more than 3 million kilometers in a Mercedes-Benz truck. That distance is roughly equivalent to circling the Earth 75 times. Kim purchased a cargo truck more than 20 years ago and has since been hauling heavy liquid cargo — bottled water, whiskey and beer — back and forth between Icheon and Busan.
The interview yielded not a secret formula but a textbook answer, Dong said. "I was expecting some special trick, but Kim emphasized the basics: visiting a service center regularly for inspections and using genuine parts," he said.
He added that when customers visit authorized service centers regularly, their maintenance history accumulates in the company's internal system, allowing technicians to identify and resolve problems before a breakdown occurs. "We also want to address over-maintenance, so customers can keep their vehicles running longer, more cost-effectively and more safely as they go about their livelihoods," he said.
Dong said the program could also help tackle problems caused by non-genuine parts used at unauthorized service centers. "Trying to save on immediate repair costs by going to an unofficial center can end up damaging the entire vehicle," he said. "When a problem is identified during a free inspection, we are working to ensure customers can get it fixed at a reasonable price."
Star Truck Korea runs a program through its official parts solution TruckParts that supplies parts meeting production and quality standards at relatively competitive prices to owners whose warranty has expired. The company is also exploring ways to ease the financial burden on customers, including an interest-free installment option for maintenance costs.
Service center visits have risen sharply since the Star Million Club launched. "The number of service center customers has increased by about 1,300 since the launch, bringing the total to around 5,300," Dong said. "Customers whose free warranty period has ended are coming back to our official service centers."
"We want to give customers a clear benefit through our official service centers — real savings on total cost of ownership," Dong said. "Tractor customers showed high satisfaction last year, and we want to deliver an equally strong customer experience with the new dump trucks we are launching."
By Kwon Je-in
eyre@heraldcorp.com
